Few have heard of the ancient principality of Andorra, a microstate high in the Pyrenees Mountains that lie along the border between Spain (to the south) and France (to the north). So high, in fact, that the capital, Andorra la Vella, is Europe’s highest capital city, lying at 1,023 meters above sea level.

The country was first recognized in 988, and took its present form in 1278. Today it is technically a “diarchy,” with two leaders: the Catholic Bishop of Urgell in Spain, and the president of France.

This latter takes some explaining. In fact the first diarch (along with the Bishop) was a French count, back in the 13th century. As time passed, so did the reins of power, ending at last with the French head of state — today, the president. This makes the president of France the Prince of Andorra, so he is both a duly-elected head of state and royalty.

The people of Andorra speak Catalan, an ancient Romance language with just a little over 4 million native speakers. Andorra’s population accounts for about 85,000; the others are in northeastern Spain, including the autonomous communities of Catalonia (for which the language is named) and Valencia (where it is called “Valencian”), as well as the nearby Balearic Islands. Together these regions are called the Catalan Countries.

As for Andorra, its miniscule population makes it the world’s 11th-smallest country. In terms of area, it is the world’s 16th-smallest, and Europe’s sixth-smallest. And though it ranks low in population, the life expectancy of its people is one of the highest in the world.

Another contrast: for such a tiny country, it boasts over 10 million tourists a year, conferring on it the honor of having the highest visitor-to-resident ratio in the world: about 33.5:1!

In addition to the sights in the capital, visitors enjoy skiing at Vallnord, visiting ancient churches and chapels, hot springs and saunas, the ancient house known as Casa Plairal d’Areny de Plandolit in the town of Ordino and numerous quaint towns and villages.